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jinmichae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It's really well written, and an interesting story of the main character warring with her identity and what she's become. But it just wasn't for me. I'm too much of a romantic who wants happy endings after succeeding against the odds, and this is a tale of how cruel reality can be. There isn't always a happy ending, and sometimes the sum of all your scheming is just emptiness and a polite defeat.
My main problem I should have seen coming: it's hard to feel sympathy for or connected with a main character who's a fairly ruthless pirate, even if she internally struggles with her actions, or isn't as terrible as others she nonetheless allies with. She wants to fight against the emperor's stranglehold on the country, but what does that mean to the individual peasants? They either die of the emperor's famine, or the ones caused by her raids.
I guess that's part of the book's message about the cruelty of society and fate, so go into the book expecting such. It was my own hope for something more like Robin Hood that disappointed me, not the actual story.
My main problem I should have seen coming: it's hard to feel sympathy for or connected with a main character who's a fairly ruthless pirate, even if she internally struggles with her actions, or isn't as terrible as others she nonetheless allies with. She wants to fight against the emperor's stranglehold on the country, but what does that mean to the individual peasants? They either die of the emperor's famine, or the ones caused by her raids.
I guess that's part of the book's message about the cruelty of society and fate, so go into the book expecting such. It was my own hope for something more like Robin Hood that disappointed me, not the actual story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Murder, Blood, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Sexism, and Trafficking
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Suicide, Alcohol, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Vomit
racheroo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Child death, and Miscarriage
anniestar's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Listen, I wanted to like this, but I found it incredibly boring. Shek Yeung feels reduce from her historical power, more of a victim than someone who rises above the circumstances she was forced into. The ending was also very abrupt and dissatisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual violence, Slavery, War, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Abortion, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Suicide, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide attempt
vonya45's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm glad I got this as an audiobook instead of reading it. I might have gotten bogged down in trying to keep track of the quick action scenes or understanding the military maneuvers and pirate politics. Instead I was able to catch glimpses of bloody battles and complicated strategems, and see past them into what the story was really about.
The view into the mind of a pirate queen is a striking one. How does a intelligent but regular girl become a master tactician and a cold blooded killer? The author did a marvelous job at answering this question without making the main character into a caricature of a murderous pirate, or on the other end of the spectrum, a one-dimensional "strong female character" with no flaws who is somehow always morally upstanding despite being a dangerous warlord. Shek Yeung enjoys killing those she believes deserves it, in the midst of battle or otherwise. When she slits the throat of suspected spies, she never gets confirmation on those suspicions, and neither does the audience. She makes choices based on what is best for her and what keeps or gains her power. She even becomes a wife and mother in order to keep that power. Yet she still has relateable feelings about her motherhood, wanting what's best for her children and feeling inadequate to care for them. She shows tenderness and care towards her husband despite their marriage being a strategic decision. She is a strong and powerful figure, but still shows empathy and compassion toward strangers. She is looking out for her best interests but she cares about her friends. She uses the patriarchal system to her advantage but her reflections on womanhood are incredibly impactful feminist perspectives.
The book does not give easy answers on any of its themes, but its deep dive into the main character's psyche is to be admired. I gave it a 3.5 because it is not really my kind of book, I am not a fan of having this much darkness or callousness in a story, and I don't like pregnancy/motherhood themes. Yet the book was well written and an enjoyable listen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Blood, Death, Gore, Pregnancy, and Torture
Moderate: Classism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Colonisation, Addiction, Child abuse, Grief, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC
I had expectations for this book, unfortunately Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is a disappointment. One would expect a novel about a legendary Chinese pirate queen to be quite explosive or at least have some thrilling action - as touted by its blurb - but that is in fact hard to find here, and it has been a while since I have felt so distanced from a story and its characters.
I love the novel's concept and premise, but in Chang-Eppig's hands, the story flounders dully and never really finds its footing: the writing truly more of a 'telling not showing' and scenes are rarely given proper room to breathe, the book so focused on Shek Yeung's character study it renders everything that makes her a pirate - the action and emotional impact most readers expect going in - almost inconsequential. And while the themes of power and being female in a patriarchal society are valid and very much relevant, they are hammered in so constantly while offering nothing new, and there is annoyingly little character development.
My biggest peeve about the book, however, is how distant the story and characters feel to the reader. For a book so focused on a main character, it is alarming how indifferent I feel to Shek Yeung despite knowing her backstory and both internal and external struggles. I declined to indicate here on The Storygraph whether I find the characters loveable, as after some deliberation, I realized it was neither yes nor no because I am wholly indifferent to them. Reading this book was not an immersive experience, so removed I felt from the action, development and characters, and as I am someone who highly values emotional impact in my reading, this greatly hinders my enjoyment of the novel.
To sum up, this book has a great premise that is unfortunately hampered by its execution, making it unable to fully reach its full potential.
I had expectations for this book, unfortunately Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is a disappointment. One would expect a novel about a legendary Chinese pirate queen to be quite explosive or at least have some thrilling action - as touted by its blurb - but that is in fact hard to find here, and it has been a while since I have felt so distanced from a story and its characters.
I love the novel's concept and premise, but in Chang-Eppig's hands, the story flounders dully and never really finds its footing: the writing truly more of a 'telling not showing' and scenes are rarely given proper room to breathe, the book so focused on Shek Yeung's character study it renders everything that makes her a pirate - the action and emotional impact most readers expect going in - almost inconsequential. And while the themes of power and being female in a patriarchal society are valid and very much relevant, they are hammered in so constantly while offering nothing new, and there is annoyingly little character development.
My biggest peeve about the book, however, is how distant the story and characters feel to the reader. For a book so focused on a main character, it is alarming how indifferent I feel to Shek Yeung despite knowing her backstory and both internal and external struggles. I declined to indicate here on The Storygraph whether I find the characters loveable, as after some deliberation, I realized it was neither yes nor no because I am wholly indifferent to them. Reading this book was not an immersive experience, so removed I felt from the action, development and characters, and as I am someone who highly values emotional impact in my reading, this greatly hinders my enjoyment of the novel.
To sum up, this book has a great premise that is unfortunately hampered by its execution, making it unable to fully reach its full potential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Pregnancy, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, and Pedophilia
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